UNPOPULAR

09.16.11

Congress's Ratings Hit Record Low

Here’s something for Congress to keep in mind ahead of the debate on President Obama’s jobs proposal: Congress is tied for its lowest approval rating ever, with only 12 percent of Americans approving of the way Congress is handling its job. The only other time when Congress was so unpopular was October 2008, at the height of the economic crisis. Broken down on party lines, the Republicans are slightly less popular than the Democrats, with 19 percent approving of the Republicans in Congress and 28 percent approving of the Democrats. Only 6 percent of registered voters say most of members of Congress have earned re-election.